Sunday protest

Is he saying he doesn't want either of those things, or are they conditional? (e.g. if there are no nukes, then I want no noda). It reminds me of the signs that say "No Jesus No Peace"

No matter what your position is on this issue, there is really so much to like about this photo. First, this boy is learning that it is important to express your opinions and that in an open society this is not only allowed, but cherished. There are so many countries in the world where protesting can get you killed. It is wonderful to see people being able to voice their opinions in safety. I love the fact that these people are smiling. It shows us that just because we protest something does not mean it needs to be done with anger. This boy is lucky to live in a country where this is possible and he is lucky to have a dad that was willing to take the time to show him.

Japan Today news ??? It's just a picture, there is (no news ) with this picture!!!. I agree that this is not the best protest sign, but I think JT likes it that way, they made the decision to present this (very short sentence) with a Tabloid style picture!!!

They look a jolly couple. Looks like these protests are good fun!

Aww :)

Another good picture for my collection. And good for the boy, it's an important lesson in life, to speak up and be heard when it really truly matters, otherwise it would be too late. Civic participation needs to be encouraged from a young age, and so should the awareness and understanding of social issues, so that public opinion is not easily swayed, bought or sold. Onniyama, if you read this, check your email :)

Stupid idiots! How about No Playstation for you! No TV with baseball on for you, uneducated faterh And no rice cooker for you, you ignorant mother!

If they want to make a difference, they should install solar panels, enough to sell back some of the energy.

Once every home owner does that, then we all can say no nukes. But I would say no coal and no oil first!

That's like bringing your child to a stockholders meeting or a church. The kid doesn't even know why he's there as he's too young to understand the issue and is merely used by his parents as a prop to support their beliefs. I feel sorry for the boy that his parents didn't take him to the zoo or park instead on such a beautiful day. Sitting on his father's shoulders looking at thousands of people shouting angry slogans from the top of their lungs and megaphones can easily make turn it into a shocking experience for him. To those of you who think its all cute and innocent should also seriously consider the potential and real danger these parents have put their child in. Not all protests are peaceful. Very selfish and irresponsible!

Ben Jack and REMzzz: Thank you for your wisdom, your comments are great!!, I just wish that JT could say something like that!.

Nisegaljin: your comment seems a little harsh!!!, (stupid idiots, uneducated faterh, you ignorant mother) did you learn that from school?? Many of my electrical items are powered with clen energy! Including my rice cooker. Because I like free speech, I even glad you are able to comment, though I'm suprised that the monitors have let you go!

It is nice to see Japanese expressing themselves and their freedom, although I do not agree with their position on the issue.

Clemens Simon: do you have children??? Probably not, ther are (dangers everywhere), surfing, skateboarding, bikes, even just walking to school, if you don't want children to learn than just keep them at the house 24-7 . Children are smarter than you realize, they often (do understand what is going on) especially if you explain.

@Simon,

He might not understand it now to the full degree, but he will, years later. Trust me. Memories like that matter, i have my own... the things that took years for me to wrap my mind around. But when the pieces come together, the picture will be complete. The young mind is like a tape recorder... you remember the sights, the sounds and the emotions. The way the air smelled that day. Then one day it makes a whole lot of sense, and the little irrelevant details suddenly take on subtle meaning. A church is not exactly a place for a child, with its boring and repetitive nature, but a more colorful, fleeting moment like this will leave more impression than forcing a textbook opinion on the child and sheltering him from real life with its ups and downs, social discourse and very real emotion, tied to real events. It's when kids are herded together an taught a sterile redacted and whitewashed history that they end up as apathetic adults with no opinion of their own.

No Nuke's, No electricity...Rolling black-outs....Be real...Just a thought...

Exit Noda, Enter Ozawa.

@Nisegaijin You sure know a lot about these people from just looking at their photo!

do you have children???

Yes, I do.

I am also very greatful that my religious parents never took me to their church meetings on Sundays.

I am also very greatful that my anti-nuclear parents never took me along to these kind of demonstrations.

Not because it would have been boring to me, though.

My father told me (when I asked my parents why they didn't bring me along) that until I was not old enough to understand certain concepts and make decisions based on strong convictions related to e.g. politics and religion, they would not force-feed me theirs. They would rather give me a choice. A choice made by me at a time when I could really understand it and thus fully support it. In the meantime, they would show/explain me both sides (or various sides in case of religion, for example) of the story. But they never expected me to sheep-like follow their footsteps as that would be brainwashing your own child into believing something he/she is not even old enough to grasp. Look at the people in the USA or their so-called axis of evil enemy North-Korea... Instilling hatred and fear in a child is not what I consider good parenting. The boy in the picture doesn't understand why he's there. It's his parents who are protesting, not the boy!

I completely agree with Clemens, that kid shouldn't be there. Shame on those parents. These demos are very unrealistic at this time. Switch those Nuclear Power stations all back on, they are more dangerous when dormant and build offshore windfarms, find a solution how to get rid of the nukes and then dismantle them.

Of course parents should not force opinions on their children. That goes without saying. However, I see nothing wrong with showing a child how democracy and exchanges of opinion work. There is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching children that protesting peacefully when you disagree with something is the right thing to do.

I see nothing wrong with showing a child how democracy and exchanges of opinion work. There is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching children that protesting peacefully when you disagree with something is the right thing to do.

Teaching your kid important elements of society is one thing.

Taking your kid along to shout (at a demonstration) or chant (in church) what YOU believe in is something completely different.

I see nothing wrong with showing a child how democracy and exchanges of opinion work. There is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching children that protesting peacefully when you disagree with something is the right thing to do.

Teaching your kid important elements of society is one thing.

Taking your kid along to shout (at a demonstration) or chant (in church) what YOU believe in is something completely different.

Clemens Simon: June 25, 2012 11:54 I agree with most of your response, this time, but not all of it. My parents also had similar ideas, as you describe, but( don't think for a minute) that your( believes )have no influence on your children. I'm sure that your very strong stance on pro-nuclear issue can sway your ( children and others ) around you. If your children were negatively influenced by US axis of evil, fear and hate, wouldn't you want to try to explain why that thinking is wrong! Please re-read REMzzz comment carefully june 25, 11:01 am , there is always more sides to any one issue. Thank you!

I've lived through more than you think, and heard stories from my family of things that weren't published in the newspapers. Trying to keep kids oblivious to the world around them does more harm than letting them realize that the world is a living, dynamic place. Not everything one sees is gospel and not everything is theatre. There's satire and painful truth, there are happy moments that happen randomly on any given day, simple things that one remembers forever.

You can't learn to walk without falling down. You can't learn about reality by reading comic books or playing videogames.

The parents aren't making the boy chant slogans and hold a sign. They aren't angry. But they have come together in what looks like a show of solidarity. Look at them. A blue collar family that seems to spend a lot of time outdoors rather than manicured office workers with the latest mobile phones and the hair dyed just the right shade of brown, fashionably sipping the latest cold canned drink.

What do you see? I see a family of farmers. Maybe not farmers themselves but people close to the earth and not alienated by a wall of flat screen TVs, vending machines and air conditioners, endless anime and combini food. People who feel they have the most to lose of the land around them becomes contaminated and unlivable, and by land i mean soil, not slabs of concrete and sticky blacktop... the most to lose if they have to pack up and move to where no one knows them and where their kid will be bullied in school for being "radioactive". It's people like this who won't panic if there's a power outage. People who can move forward and rebuild the country. Strong, simple and honest. Let them protest. They are living in the real world.

Taking your kid along to shout (at a demonstration) or chant (in church) what YOU believe in is something completely different.

Actually, neither the boy nor his father seem to be shouting at all. In fact, the father is smiling. They are spending time together and the boy at the very least gets to know how his father feels about important issues.

Japanese rallies are peaceful, nothing wrong with showing your kids about expressing your opinions and freedoms and letting them be thankful they have the right to show how they feel in public. Heck they even have the right to not agree with their parents. Free countries are great.

Now of they were taking them to throw bottles of acid at boats, I would oppose taking them.

Japanese rallies are peaceful

Basically, yes. But it only takes a few lunatics to turn a peaceful anti-nuclear protest into a mob lynching.

Case in point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kid9mEhGKfw

neither the boy nor his father seem to be shouting at all.

Maybe not. The photo only captured a split second, though.

This might give you a more realistic picture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qHzQOwBNTE

Protestors shouting and using all kinds of foul language.

You think it's okay to submit a child to that kind of thing?

Photographically, this image is quite poorly composed. While the content is a protest, we see two individuals laughing and one small child indifferent to the protest. Many people in the background are turning away from the front, indicating a loss of interest or defeat. This image shows the protests falling apart at the seams.

Protestors shouting and using all kinds of foul language.

Which is not so different from any sporting match in my country, and most parents seem to have very little problem bringing children the same age as this boy or even younger along. Admittedly they aren't pleased when foul language is thrown around, but that doesn't seem to stop them from taking them. Participation is learned. If you're worried about indoctrination, does it extend to sporting events and teams? I think it's potentially hypocritical to be against protesting or religious services for children, and not show the same considerations for sports. I'd be very interested to see how people stand with the comparison. Learning about taking a stand in my opinion is much more important than sport, and if one is good for children, especially in a relatively safe country like Japan or my country, then I see no problem with this.

Sunday's protest (in Noda's hometown) was more of anti-Noda rally than it was an anti-nuclear/anti-restart of the Oi reactors one.

Clemens Simon: your YouTube exsample is a very poor, at best, and talk about (Preaching Fear) good try. This is just a picture and has (zero connection) to your example! As far as your comment on (a few lunatics) can turn Protest into a mob lynching, I'm glad (you weren't there). You seem to have a lot of pent up anger over this photo!!!

Stuart,

Anger? No, not at all. I'm just saying that it's my point of view that the kid has no place there.

Come on, roll with it. We can see you're mad about the protest. But it's only a congregation of people who are concerned that another nuclear accident will happen. It's not a bloody MMA fight or a pornographic strip club show. It looks pretty civil, otherwise the family would have gone home already. It's not a church or a court room where a child can be a disruptive and unwelcome presence. Finally there's a dozen articles here about parents who have neglected to watch their kids and the kids have fallen to their deaths. This one seems firmly planted on the Dad's shoulders and not in danger of falling.

The child in the picture is around 3 years old. I think it is safe to say that he has not yet made up his mind regarding nuclear power and whether he supports or opposes it. Yet, his parents took the liberty [yesterday] to take that choice away from him. I think that's pushing your own agenda (one that he has a right to make up and control once he's an adult) on your child (at such an early age) and constitutes indoctrination.

We can see you're mad about the protest

Just because I have posted my opinion (with links) and replied to other poster's opinions doesn't mean I'm mad about the protest. Let me assure you... I'm not. All I'm saying is that a child has no place at a demonstration. That's my opinion.

I think it is safe to say that he has not yet made up his mind regarding nuclear power and whether he supports or opposes it. Yet, his parents took the liberty [yesterday] to take that choice away from him. I think that's pushing your own agenda (one that he has a right to make up and control once he's an adult) on your child (at such an early age) and constitutes indoctrination.

@Simon,

An opinion is not "forever", however plutonium is as well as certain isotopes of caesium are, and will last a lot more than this kid's lifetime. The boy is a witness to the fact that nuclear power has a dark side to it, but he is free to form a more neutral opinion when he gets to an age when science will start to make sense....

You are starting to sound a lot like Mary Whitehouse, to whom Pink Floyd devoted one of their songs. "Trying to keep out feelings off the streets" is how Pink Floyd described her social agenda, towards what children should be allowed to encounter in the real world http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Whitehouse

Also, the kid hasn't made up his mind of how he feels about thyroid cancer... and so would taking him to a hospital where a cancer patient is recovering with a bright red scar across his neck constitute indoctrination?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qHzQOwBNTE

Protestors shouting and using all kinds of foul language.

You think it's okay to submit a child to that kind of thing?

The photo we have here was obviously taken during the day. Either the iPhone used to take your YT video was poorly calibrated, or the video was taken at night by which time it is reasonable to assume the kiddie would be back home and getting ready for bed. The person commentating on the YT video tells us everything appears to be very, very peaceful. I don't see that the child was 'submitted' to any 'kind of thing'.

As for parents 'pushing their own agenda' or 'indoctrinating' their kids - do you really believe that children benefit from being raised in a moral vacuum? I for one would strongly object to children being 'submitted' to that kind of abuse. It's the parents' responsibility to raise their kids to be what they consider to be responsible members of society. Failing to do so is failing to be a parent.

Would you consider teaching a child to be honest was 'pushing one's own agenda'? Is toilet training 'indoctrination'? (Why not wait till the kid is 18 before letting him decide for himself that using a toilet is preferable to having wet, stinky pants?)

I say good on this Mum and Dad for taking junior with them, spending time together and trying to instill some of their own values and beliefs. That's a kid with responsible parents.

That's because you assume that the kid will (in the future) want to oppose nuclear power just as his parents (and you?). That's a whole lot to assume and not realistic at all. He might very well turn out to become a supporter of nuclear power or even end up working at a TEPCO power plant. I know plenty of people whose parents dragged them to church every Sunday but decided to "get out" from under their parent's grip of thought control once they reached adulthood. I'm pretty sure there are plenty more though who didn't stand up for their own belief once they became adult, as their parents belief has been imprinted too often and rooted too deeply for them to even try to think for themselves. Religion and politics can be scary that way. Just have a look at another article posted here today about North Korean kids at the age of 3 being forcefed with what their parents think is correct. I say it's not. I say teach kids that age how to properly DO things (including how to use a toilet, duh!), not how to "properly" THINK. Especially not concerning issues such as these.

An opinion is not "forever"

Exactly! And that's why he should be given the oportunity to form his own. I teach my children the pros and cons of things and let them consider and sometimes also decide what is best. A three-year-old on a sunny day off should be making visits to the zoo and play with friends in the pool or park, not being dragged around anti-nuclear demonstrations!

There's nowhere that i said he will support his parents' political views. However, attending this meeting is enough for him to feel that it's worth standing up for what one feels, and not shutting himself in his room for 5 years at a time because others do not agree with his views (see the hikikomori phenomenon)...

From the vantage point of sitting on his dad's shoulders, the kid doesn't see half of what is written on those signs, because the are facing away from him, furthermore he can't even read.... what he does see, is the signs are nearly all yellow, and a crowd bigger than he has ever seen, a big field of many hairdos and faces, all there to there for the same reason and shouting the same thing.... a very empowering feeling, to view it all from above...

That was humor actually.

But the world is not all fun and games... it is mostly work and serious issues. We must all find something good, pleasant and exciting in all of those times, otherwise we will end up either depressed or bored and constantly seeking artificial forms of pleasure...

Kids think being a policeman or a nurse is cool, fun and respectable, along with a dozen other occupations they learn about. Let them think that, let them see something good in ordinary life, and not take festivities like a fireworks show for granted.

My point of view my seem spartan, but that's how i grew up. Eating raspberries meant combing through some painfully scratchy vegetation at a time of the year when they where in season. We didn't just open a plastic box with them ready to eat. Cherry pie meant standing there in nothing but my boxers and helping grandma pit all the cherries, which we picked ourselves the day before. Seems like unpleasant work, but no, i see a good side in everything, including the protest. When kids have everything, and there is nothing left to want. they lose their will to live, and that's never good... let them see a bittersweet and real life and they will be a lot more realistic in what they feel. No indoctrination needed

I agree. Japan is a great place to enjoy the outdoors as there is so much of it. Camping, hiking, fishing, mountain climbing. All wonderful activities to enjoy and teach kids about the importance of and hardships in life etc. Much better I'd say, than a noisy "one-way-street" rally on asphalted streets for the mere purpose of supporting the parent' favorite politician or anti-whatever campaign.

you assume that the kid will (in the future) want to oppose nuclear power just as his parents (and you?).

I assume nothing of the sort. What I do assume is that any responsible parent with his or her child's best interests at heart will actively instill in that child what the parent considers to be a sound set of values. That isn't indoctrination; it's what's called raising a kid. As REMzzz points out, the child in the picture likely has no idea what is going on, can't read the signs, just knows that he's with his mum and dad in a crowd of other people, and he's secure on his dad's shoulders.

By your logic, no child should be taken to enjoy the outdoors as that assumes he will grow up with a desire to go camping, hiking, fishing, mountain climbing when in fact the child might be a natural city-dweller and lover of all things asphalt and concrete, but will be unable to "get out" from under their parent's grip of thought control...

I teach my children the pros and cons of things and let them consider and sometimes also decide what is best. A three-year-old on a sunny day off should be doing what I think is best for him to do.....

But other parents are not allowed to make the same choice?

any responsible parent .... will actively install ... a sound set of values

I absolutely agree with you! However, there is no need to rush all those important values. In fact, values are naturally formed over three significant periods: Imprint period from birth to 7 years, modelling period from 8 –13 years and ocialization period from 13 –21 years.

In my humble opinion, doctrinal/ideological (religious, political) values have no place in the imprint period.

You teach a small kid personal values such as what is good, beneficial, important, useful, beautiful, desirable, constructive, etc. 

You cross the line (into indoctrination) when you give a child no choice but to follow your own doctrinal/ideological values.

Looks like the Moderator has again gone over this discussion with a fine toothed comb. As usual. Too bad i can't delete the "That was humor actually" line, which refers to some 3 missing posts (without which it makes no sense)... of what sounds like Simon's vaguely written outrage, my mockingly humorous reply, and his completely serious response to me...

Too bad i can't edit it out...

A three-year-old on a sunny day off should be making visits to the zoo

Teaching him that it's OK to keep wild animals incarcerated in cages, is OK?

Back on topic please.

Stuart:

your YouTube exsample is a very poor, at best, and talk about (Preaching Fear) good try. This is just a picture and has (zero connection) to your example!

My YouTube example shows people in a demontration in Japan, one being anti-nuclear, taken last week. It shows that these rallies get noisy (listen also to the narrator saing this) as you can hear from yourself. THAT is what I wanted to show you. Noise from shouting slogans through megaphones. Noise that the kid cannot understand because of his age. I wouldn't call that zero connection. I call that realistic. The moderators seem to agree with my asessment as it's still up there.

As far as your comment on (a few lunatics) can turn Protest into a mob lynching, I'm glad (you weren't there).

Me too, 'cause I would've gotten into a lot of trouble fighting those lunatics off the foreign protestor.